Polemical Christianity: Jan Patočka’s Concept of Religion and the Crisis of Modernity

Jan Patočka is seen today as one of the most important intellectual figures of Central Europe. Reflections on the historical and philosophical meaning of religion, especially Christianity, are a persistent topic in Patočka ‘s studies on the European intellectual tradition. The project dealt with the question of religion in his philosophical work and its importance for what is often referred to as the „crisis of modernity“. The intent was to broaden the international reception of Patočka’s thought by further exploring his philosophical Nachlass, along with translating and publishing a selection of central writings related to religion. This research was embedded in a systematic approach to assessing the significance of Patočka ‘s thought in the context of the recent “return of the religious” in contemporary philosophy and beyond. The project built on more than twenty years of Patočka research at the IWM.

This project was generously supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)